INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2009 26-27 June 2009 Nanjing, China Co-organized by the School of Accounting and Finance, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the School of Management, Nanjing University, the China Accounting and Finance Review International Symposium 2009 will be held in Nanjing on 26-27 June 2009. Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, boasts a history dating back to the 3rd century and is renowned for its treasure trove of ancient and cultural relics, including the Ming Dynasty Xiaoling Tomb, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-sen. Today, Nanjing is one of the most important economic and cultural centres in China. The Symposium aims to blend academic research with government policy and professional practice. More than 100 eminent professors and scholars from the Chinese mainland and the international community, as well as leading practitioners in China accounting and finance, are expected to attend. Academics and practitioners in these fields are cordially invited to present papers and participate in the Symposium. The specific objectives of the Symposium are: (1) To provide academics and experts from the mainland, Hong Kong and overseas with an opportunity to showcase their latest research into China’s accounting, finance, economic development, and enterprise reforms; (2) To foster better communication among government officials, academics and practitioners; and (3) To enable overseas academics and experts to gain a deeper understanding of the latest developments in accounting and finance in China. Keynote Speakers The organizers are pleased to announce that the keynote speakers for the Symposium will be Professor Randall Morck and Dr Zhonghui Zhou. Professor Morck is University Professor and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Distinguished Chair in Finance at the University of Alberta. He has published more than 70 articles on corporate governance, corporate ownership and corporate finance in such prestigious academic journals as the American Economic Review, Journal of Finance, and Journal of Financial Economics and has served as a consultant to the Canadian and US governments, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund on corporate governance and other economic issues. Dr Zhou is Chief Accountant of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and was formerly a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers China. He served as an auditor during the shareholding system reforms and has been involved in the IPOs of several large state-owned enterprises. With his rich experience in accounting practice and membership in the Public Offering Review Committee of the CSRC, Dr Zhou is excellently placed to provide professional advice on a variety of accounting issues. Paper Submission All of the papers submitted will be blind-reviewed. With the consent of the authors, those that are accepted will be given fast-track consideration for publication in China Accounting and Finance Review (CAFR), which is published in Chinese and English by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is the first international refereed journal on accounting and finance in China. In addition, one Best Paper Award of RMB5,000 will be given to the best paper presented at the Symposium, as judged by the organizing committee through an anonymous ballot. Of special interest are papers or topics addressing issues related to accounting and finance in China or those providing new insights for accounting and finance educators, academics, policy-makers, or practitioners in the country. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following. 1. Management accounting 2. Corporate internal control 3. Agency problems and corporate governance 4. Performance evaluation and management compensation 5. Behavioural accounting 6. Environmental accounting and auditing 7. Ethics in accounting professions 8. Governmental accounting 9. Development of accounting standards in China and international harmonization 10. Taxation reforms in China 11. Asset valuations and IPO pricing 12. Chinese enterprise reform 13. Empirical studies of capital market-based accounting and finance in China 14. Venture capital management 15. Accounting and tax issues in an IT environment 16. Financial reporting, disclosure, and capital markets 17. Asset evaluation 18. Financial engineering and risk management 19. Role of auditing in emerging capital markets 20. Corporate control and corporate restructuring 21. Issues in China’s accounting and finance education Papers for review may be submitted in English or Chinese, and submissions should be made in the form of a completed paper. The deadline for submission is 1 May 2009, and early submissions are strongly encouraged. Authors will be notified of the review panel’s decision by 1 June 2009. Registration Fee The Symposium registration fee is RMB800 for mainland participants or USD200 (HKD1,560) for overseas and Hong Kong participants. The registration fee includes a copy of proceedings, lunches and dinner during the Symposium, but excludes travel and accommodation expenses. This fee is waived for all presenters. Doctoral Consortium To broaden the academic horizons of accounting and finance doctoral students and to enhance their capability to exchange research ideas, the Symposium will include a doctoral consortium that will provide a platform for selected doctoral students to discuss their research proposals or papers. Distinguished scholars will also be invited to participate in this discussion. The doctoral students selected will receive complimentary registration and two nights of accommodation to be provided by the organizer. All travel arrangements are the students’ own responsibility. Applicants for the doctoral consortium should submit their 10- to 15-page research proposals or single-authored completed papers by 15 May 2009. They will be notified of the review panel’s decision by 1 June 2009. With the authors’ consent, the papers selected will be given priority for entry into the CAFR review process. Notes on Submission Please email papers or research proposals in PDF or DOC format to Amy.ym.Kwan@polyu.edu.hk (please specify in the subject line: “Submission for CAFR Symposium 2009” or “Submission for Doctoral Consortium 2009”). Alternatively, submissions can be posted in duplicate to: 7/F, Li Ka Shing Tower School of Accounting and Finance The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Please specify on the envelope: “Submission for CAFR Symposium 2009” or “Submission for Doctoral Consortium 2009”)